Short Summary

Turkey's left-of-centre Republican People's Party have won Sunday's (October 14) general election according to early unofficial reports.

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Turkey's left-of-centre Republican People's Party have won Sunday's (October 14) general election according to early unofficial reports.

The election was of particularly vital importance to the country's future because it marked the end of tow and a half years' backstage military rule. Martial law has only recently been lifted in Istanbul and Turkey. During polling day three people were killed in eastern Turkey when supporters of rival political -parties exchanged gunfire.

Opinion polls showed that Mr Bulent ecevit's Republican People's Party was increasing in popularity, but former Prima Minister Mr. Sulayman Demirel's Conservative Justice Party was expected to win.

Provisional returns show that no single party is strong enough to form a government on its own. Statistical experts of the Turkish popular newspaper Hurriyet gibe he Republican People's Party 186 of the 450 National Assembly seats to the Justice Party's 161. The newspaper Gunaydin gave the Republican People's Party 186 seats and the Justice Party 172.

Extreme right wing parties have not gained many seats but their appearance at the polls is said to have cut a large slice from the Justice Party vote. the Constitutional Party banned Turkey's extreme left Marxist Labour Party and sentenced its leaders to lengthy jail terms during military rule.

The army took over the last justice Party Government in 1971 to gael with political violence. Mr. Demirel resigned.